Coupling.



PATENTED NOV. 15,1904.

H. GALLAGER.

COUPLING.

nnmmmn FILED NOV. 15,1902.

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V E N TOR "9 Ila WITNES 39 f u No. 775,167. PATENTED NOV. 15, 1904.

H. GALLAGER.

COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15,1902.

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' l Allarney UNITED. STATES Patented November 15, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY GALLAGER, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NA- TIONALMALLEABLE OASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,167, dated November15, 1904. Application filed November 15, 1902. Serial No. 131,648. (Nomodel.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY GALLAeER,a resident of Savannah, in the countyof Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an improved coupling, the object of theinvention being to provide improvements of this character in which theknuckle can be thrown open by the locking mechanism or the latter set inthe coupling-head to permit the knuckle to open and remain set untilmoved from such position by the knuckle in closing and then fall to itslocking position.

A further object is to provide an improved coupling which will be strongand durable, simple and efficient in operation, and in which the partscan be readily assembled and replaced in the event of the necessity ofrepairs.

WVith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, aswill be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, partially in section,illustrating my improvements. Figs. 2, 3, and at are other views insection thereof, and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views of details ofconstruction.

1 represents the coupling-head, and 2 the draw-bar, of my improvedcoupling, which are strengthened by external and internal ribs, asshown. The knuckle 3 is hinged between the projecting lugs at of thehead by an ordinary pin 5 and is made with a curved tailpiece 6 to enteran opening in the front of the head 1 and be locked therein by myimproved locking-block '7, as will more fully hereinafter appear. Thelocking-block 7 is made with an upwardly-projecting inclined arm 8,having a trunnion 9 at right angles thereto to enter an opening in thelower end of the uncouplingpin 10, projecting up through a slot in thetop of the head, perforated to connect the operating mechanism and madewith a shoulder or J flange to rest on the top ofthe head and preventthe entrance of water and dirt therointo. The trunnion 9 is madecam-shaped at its free end, and the opening in the uncoupling-pin is thesame shape, normally out of alinement therewith, but which can be movedinto alinement when the knuckle is removed and the block swung forward,thus permitting the parts to be readily disconnected and the blockremoved through the open front of the coupling-head.

The locking-block in its locking position rests in a recess 11 in thebottom of the coupling-head and is made with a curved tongue or finger12, which projects down through an opening a in the bottom of the head.The inclined arm 8 at the top of block 7 is adapted when the block israised by the pin 10 to fulcrum on an internal shoulder or enlargement13 in the upper portion of head 1 and throw the tongue or finger l2outward, and as it engages the inner face of the tail of the knuckle itwill force the knuckle to its open position. This tongue or finger 12 isat one side of and made narrower than the block, and to insure itsengagement with the knuckletail it is enlarged on one side at or nearits lower end, as shown at 14:, which projects sutficiently to one sideof the tongue or finger to contact with the knuckle-tail and give ititsopening movement.

The pivotal point of the locking-block with pin 10 is in advance of thecenter of gravity thereof,so that when the block is raised to a positionto permit the knuckle to unlock the tongue ortinger 12 will be thrownslightly forward far enough to move from above the opening a in thebottom of the head and rest on the bottom at the edge of said opening.The tail of the knuckle is provided at its end, on its upper face, withan enlargementlz'), inclined downward to the end of the knuckle-tail, soas to ride beneath the locking-block, elevating it and permitting it tofall to its set position, but which in closing strikes the block andpushes it back from its set position and the tongue or finger 12 overthe opening in the head, compelling it to fall therein and the block tofall to its locked position when the tail has freed it. This enlargement15 has an abrupt wall forming a shoulder which strikes a dependingflange or wall 15 in the couplinghead when the knuckle is closed, thuslimiting the closing movement of the knuckle and preventing the tailfrom striking the wall of the head, which might and probably would breakthe saine,as the knuckles are closed with great force in coupling cars.

The block, as before stated, in its locking position rests in a recessin the bottom of the coupling-head, and it is provided on its bottom atone side with an inclined or beveled projection 16, which rests in adeeper recess 17 the rear wall of which inclines and forms a slide orguide 18, which serves to guide the block to its locking position whenforced backward by the knuckle-tail in closing.

In order to insure a sufficient force to the inward movement of theknuckle-tail to compel the locking mechanism to properly act, a smallshoulder or enlargement 18 is provided on the lower face of theknuckle-tail, which strikes the coupling-head, and the knuckle-tail mustbe closed with sufficient force to raise the shoulder over the edge ofthe couplinghead, and thus engage the locking-block with such force asto compel it to correctly act.

The side of the coupling-head adjacent to the block 7 is enlarged andflat, as shown at 20, to prevent lateral movement of the block and serveas a guide therefor.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: With the parts shown inFig. 1 the coupling is securely looked, as the block 7 rests against theflat side face of the couplinghead and in front of the end of theknuckletail. To open the knuckle, the pin 10 is raised, thus elevatingblock 7 above the knuckle-tail and lifting the tongue or finger 12 outof the opening a in the bottom of coupling-head 1. When the block 7moves far enough upward, its inclined arm 8 will strike shoulder 13 andfulcrum thereon, and the further lifting strain on the pin 10 will forcetongue or finger 12 forward and against the rear face of theknuckle-tail and move the knuckle to its open position. When theknuckle-tail is closed in the act of coupling, it engages and forcesbackward the locking-block until the finger 12 drops into the opening a.Upon its further movement the knuckle-tail then frees the locking-block,which latter then moves forward, guided by the incline 18, into itslocking position in front of the tail of the knuckle. To set the lockingmechanism to permit the knuckle to open, the pin 10 is drawn upward,elevating block 7 and tongue or finger 12 until the latter is free ofthe opening in the bottom of the coupling-head, when, owing to the factthat the preponderance of weight of block 7 and tongue 12 are on oneside of the pivotal point, the tongue will swing forward and rest on therecessed bottom of the head, holding the block out of its lockingposition. When the knuckle is opened, the beveled enlargement 15 on theknuckle-tail engages the lower face of the block and elevates itslightly, permitting it to fall back to its set position; but when theknuckle is closed the enlargement 15 will strike the block and force itback until the tongue 12 falls into the opening, the knuckletailcontinuing to force back the block until it is in its closed position,when it frees the block and incline 18 compels it to immediately fallforward to its locking position.

It will be seen that with my improvements I can throw the knuckle open,set the lock to permit it to open, and automatically look when theknuckle is closed regardless of the position of the locking-block, forif it is in its locking position the knuckle-tail will force it back upincline 18 until the tail is in its closed position, when the block willslide forward and lock it in such position.

A great many changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof the parts described without departing from my invention, and hence Iwould have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precisedetails set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changesand alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a coupling, the combination with the tail of a pivoted knuckle, ofa tilting or tipping locking-block provided with a depending memberadapted to swing forwardly and support the locking-block when raised toits unlocked position, said member having a lateral enlargement adaptedto open the knuckle, substantially as set forth.

2. In a coupling, the combination with the tail of a pivoted knuckle, ofa tilting or tipping locking-block provided with a depending memberhaving a lateral enlargement, said block being constructed so that whenraised it will tilt and seat its depending member on a support andretain the locking-block in its unlocked position, and when raised stillhigher the lug on said depending member will operate as a lever and openthe knuckle, substantially as set forth.

3. In a coupling, the combination with the tail of a swinging or pivotedknuckle having a cam-surface on its forward end, of a tilting or tippinglocking-block provided with a depending tongue or finger located on oneside of the block, the parts being constructed to cause the tongue orfinger to move forward and seat itself on the lower wall of thecoupling-head, when the locking-block is raised to its unlockedposition, and cause the cam-surface on the knuckle when the latter isswung open, to lift and tilt the block and move its supporting-fingerforwardly and into the path I of movement of the knuckle, substantiallyas 1 set forth.

a. In a coupling, the combination with the tail of a swinging knucklehaving a raised camsurface on its upper surface at its forward end, of atilting locking-block constructed with a rearward projection at itsupper end which is adapted to engage the wall of the couplinghead, andprovided with a finger located on I one side of the block, Which servesto supl port the block in its unlocked position and also engages thetail of the knuckle and throws it into its open position, substantiallyas set forth.

5. In a coupling, the combination with a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted thereto and a tail on the knuckle projecting into the head, of alocking-block to lock the tail in the head, a beveled enlargement on thebottom of said block, and an inclined guide for said enlargement tocompel the block to move forward to its locking position when forcedbackward therefrom.

6. In a coupling, the combination with a head, a pivoted knuckle and atail thereon to l enter the head, of a locking-block, a curved tongue orlinger adapted to eject the tail when the block is elevated and tilted,and adapted to rest on the bottom of the coupling-head 1 and hold theblock out of its locked position, and a beveled enlargement on theknuckletail to ride beneath the block in opening but force it from itsset position in closing, and also limit the closing movement of theknuckle.

7. In a coupling the combination with a pivoted knuckle, and a tailthereon to enter the head, of locking mechanism in the head, and ashoulder or enlargement on the bottom I of said tail to strike the edgeof the open front l of the head and compel the employment of some slightforce to cause the knuckle-tail to enter the cavity of the (.lraw-head.

8. In a coupling, the combination with the tail of a swinging knucklehaving a raised camsurface on its forward end, of a tilting lockingblockprovided with a depending finger on one side thereof, and adapted tosupport the locking-block in its unlocked position, said block beingconstructed with an inclined surface on its under side with which theraised cam-surface on the tail of the knuckle engages, when the latteris swung open and operates to raise the block and move it forwardly intothe path of movement of the tail of the knuckle, substantially as setforth.

9. In a coupling, the combination with a vertically-movable pin or linkand a lockingblock, one of said parts being provided with an elongatedhole, and the other with a trunnion having an elongated head thereonadapted to enter the elongated hole in the other member and to be lockedagainst accidental displacement when the parts are in their operativepositions, substantially as set forth.

10. In a coupling, the combination with a vertically-movablc pin or linkhaving an elongated hole in its lower end, of a locking-block providedwith a pivotal bearing having an elongated head on its outer end whichis adapted to enter the elongated hole in pin or link and lock the blockagainst accidental displacement.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscrib ing witnesses.

HENRY GALLAGER.

